Canzano: Oregon State dug ($1.5 million) deep to get Maalik Murphy
Beavers spending like they want to matter.
When Maalik Murphy announced that he was packing up and traveling across the country to play for Oregon State it caused a stir in the most unlikely of places — Bourbon Country.
The various NIL collectives that fuel Kentucky athletics thought they had a good shot at landing the blue-chip transfer quarterback. Murphy, 6-foot-5, suited up at Duke last season, where he threw 26 touchdown passes. He had a pleasant visit to the SEC campus in Lexington, Ky., and the school’s collectives that spoke with Murphy’s family were dangling a seven-figure offer.
“We were mostly worried about Auburn,” said a source involved with Murphy’s recruitment at Kentucky.
Oregon State didn’t come out of left field, exactly. The Beavers were among the runners-up for Murphy when he went to Duke. He was familiar with several OSU coaches and liked the campus, but in today’s world — money talks.
Oregon State’s NIL deal with Murphy: $1.5 million in cash.